Le Corbusier once described architecture as “a learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light.” Natural light –and its accompanying shadow– plays a crucial role in shaping our perception of architecture, serving a long list of functions that define how users experience, engage and interact with buildings. From illuminating and accentuating to enhancing views and evoking warmth, the presence of daylight has the power to set a room’s tone and aesthetic language. It even has a significant impact on human health and well-being, including boosting mood and productivity, regulating circadian rhythms and reducing eyestrain and headaches –it makes our lives brighter, literally.
Although natural light cannot be constructed, it can be steered and guided through the use of forms, openings and, above all, windows. Windows are the portals through which light pours into an interior environment, elevating its visual experience. All while enabling individuals to see the weather, time of day, changing seasons and surrounding landscape. It’s quite simple: without windows, spaces are dark, gloomy and uninviting; with them, they are bright, open and welcoming.
To achieve a perfect balance of comfort and illumination, designers must be strategic in how they capture sunlight. Windows must be carefully positioned to ensure a pleasant amount of glow and optimum direction, and the type of glass –clear, tinted, frosted– must be selected according to each project’s needs. In addition, light can be controlled through interior design strategies: whereas light-colored, reflective walls can help to amplify light, darker or matte surfaces may absorb and diminish it, for example.
Minimal windows for brighter and healthier spaces
The size and shape of windows also impact the quantity and quality of natural illumination, with larger and taller windows significantly increasing the amount of light infiltrating a space, particularly if they are paired with minimal frames. In that sense, by maximizing the amount of glass surface area, minimal window systems are ideal when looking to flood spaces with daylight and, at the same time, provide limitless, unobstructed views. Melting into their environment, these instantly make spaces feel brighter, more open and connected to their surroundings. This often results in buildings that are more visually appealing and enjoyable to visit, work and live in.
Minimal windows, with their sleek, clean-line aesthetic, are more in style than ever in contemporary architecture. Responding to this modern demand, Vitrocsa offers a range of products for frameless windows that bring transparency and lightness when incorporated into a design. The boundary between the indoors and outdoors dissipates, spaces are flooded with abundant light and change with the hours of the day and seasons. A delicate play of shadows is formed when the light meets the thin profiles, highlighting every material and architectural detail.
Vitrocsa offers four innovative minimal window systems: Pivoting, Guillotine, Sliding and Turnable Corner. With different opening motions and unique functional and aesthetic qualities, each of these maximizes natural light and interacts with it in interesting ways. We explore these below through a selection of inspiring, light-filled projects that blend seamlessly with their exterior.
Faruz House / Pitsou Kedem Architects
When visitors stand in front of this house, they are met with an opaque monolithic slab covered in dark stone. But as they enter, they find a series of courtyards and a large, transparent curtain wall that reveals the interior with absolute transparency. Adding to the home’s modern and sophisticated style, a floor-to-ceiling Pivoting door with minimal framing rotates on a vertical axis and stands between a living area and one of the inner courtyards. This oversized, elegant door facilitates a smooth transition between indoors and outdoors, while simultaneously allowing an abundance of natural light to enter. The result is a comfortable and inviting atmosphere with great views.
Bassett Road / Paul+O Architects
A contemporary renovation of a Victorian townhouse, this project incorporates a double-height glazed extension at the rear featuring a motorized Guillotine system. The window, comprised of three panels, is a contemporary interpretation of the ubiquitous Victorian sash window on a much larger scale. It extends to the full height and width of the extension, flooding the main living areas with light while providing uninterrupted views of the south-facing garden. Guillotine windows have multiple fixed and mobile configurations, meaning they can block and filter light, diffuse it or allow it to enter the room in a controlled manner.
Z House / Milic + architects
Built on a 700 sqm plot on the main road of a quiet neighborhood, Z house aims to provide its owners with a sense of serenity and seclusion. While the exterior is designed to preserve privacy, the inner facade facing the garden is entirely transparent. Its lightness is emphasized by a 4-meter-high glass wall that rises over the ceiling and gives the impression that it is floating in space. Large Sliding doors, with their minimalist appearance, complement this “wall of glass” effect, achieving openness, spaciousness and, of course, encouraging the passage of daylight into the interior.
Château Troplong Mondot / Atelier Mazieres Architectes associes et Agence Moinard Bétaille - Bruno Moinard & Claire Bétaille
Located in the heart of this wine-growing estate, the Le Belles Perdrix restaurant in the Chateau was recently fully renovated. The process involved the addition of an extendible terrace featuring a Turnable Corner system, which enables a full opening to create a seamless link with the exterior. Using a roller principle that completely frees up the glazed components from the passageway, the architectural solution optimizes space, opens up the view and helps the natural light to enter, making guests feel welcome and relaxed.
With the right placement and design, minimal window systems have the power to not only enhance the quantity and quality of light in an interior space, but also to make a sophisticated, bold and memorable architectural statement.
Visit Vitrocsa’s website or browse our catalog to learn more about minimal window systems.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Light in Architecture, proudly presented by Vitrocsa the original minimalist windows since 1992.
Vitrocsa designed the original minimalist window systems, a unique range of solutions, dedicated to the frameless window boasting the narrowest sightline barriers in the world: Manufactured in line with the renowned Swiss Made tradition for 30 years, Vitrocsa’s systems “are the product of unrivaled expertise and a constant quest for innovation, enabling us to meet the most ambitious architectural visions.”
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